Rainbow Shower tree

The flowers of a rainbow shower tree in Hawaii

Rainbow Shower trees (Cassia x nealae) produce an abundance of flowers, varying in color from yellow to orange, pink, and red, often on the same flower. The color mix is due to them being a hybrid, which is also the reason they don’t produce seedpods

The flowers of a rainbow shower tree in Hawaii

The Numbers Game #25

Encrusted pilings in Kawaihae Harbor, Hawaii
Corals grow on the pilings in Kawaihae Harbor.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 146. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

These photos, all with a 146 in their numeric identification, are from a snorkel in murky water in Kawaihae Harbor.

Blacktip Reef Shark

A Blacktip Reef Shark in the waters off Hawaii

I don’t see sharks a lot, but when I do they’re usually Whitetip Reef Sharks, which are fairly common around the island. I’ve seen others, including a few Blacktip Reef Sharks, but haven’t got photos of them before.

A few days ago, snorkeling out of Lapakahi, this Blacktip Reef Shark emerged out of hazy waters, heading my way. When it saw me, it veered off to the side, zipped past, and continued on its way. The shark was no more than four feet long, but there was no mistaking it with those markings.

It was a short encounter, so I only took a few photos and, given the conditions, had no great hopes that the photos would be any good, or that the shark would even be in them! So I was pleased that this one shot turned out halfway decent.

Pastel Hell

A panel depicting Hell in the Painted Church Hawaii
The interior of the Painted Church Hawaii

This month’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge is ‘Pastels.’ See more responses here. Well, I couldn’t resist this headline, could I? It doesn’t look quite so bad when the colors fade to a kinder, gentler shade of purgatory.

These are from St Benedict’s Painted Church, on the slopes above Kealakekua Bay. Father John Velghe moved the church from the coast to its present site in 1899. Once it was rebuilt, he painted the interior as a mini cathedral with scenes from the bible adorning the walls. The paintings have faded over the years, but are still quite striking.

For more information about St Benedict’s Painted Church, go to https://thepaintedchurchhawaii.org/

The exterior of the Painted Church Hawaii